


Wake Up

by bjfic_archivist



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Canon, No Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-07-28
Updated: 2003-07-28
Packaged: 2018-12-27 04:52:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12073887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bjfic_archivist/pseuds/bjfic_archivist
Summary: Brian receives a very rude wake up call.





	Wake Up

**Author's Note:**

> Note from IrishCaelan, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Brian_Justin_Fanfiction_Archive). To preserve the archive, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in September 2017. I posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/bjfic/profile).

Something was off. The world seemed to be spinning and he knew he hadn’t had enough drinks to make him feel like that. The night was young and he was only getting started. He shouldn’t have even felt a buzz. Brian didn’t think he’d taken anything. He’d paid a small visit to his pot stash, but that was hours ago and the effects had worn off before he’d even left the loft. 

Pushing himself away from the bar, Brian stumbled towards the dance floor. If he danced long enough he could just sweat off the effects of whatever was pumping through his system. 

“It’s not drugs. It’s Justin. You miss him.” 

Swiveling his head in Michael’s direction was an incredible effort, but Brian managed to do it complete with a glare. “No fucking way I miss that twat. He made his decision now he gets to live with it.” 

“I know you don’t believe that, Bri,” Michael told him as he wrapped an arm around Brian’s shoulders in an attempt to steer him back towards the bar. “Come on, I’ll buy you a drink.” 

“Fuck off,” Brian growled, wrenching himself away from his best friend and stalked back towards the dance floor. 

Brian didn’t stop at the dance floor. He continued straight through towards the exit, no longer able to stand the gyrating mob of men pushing against him. He felt closed in and his blurring vision wasn’t making it any better. Brian put his discomfort down to Michael mentioning Justin. It had been two months since Justin had left him for the violin playing freak and in that time Brian had done everything possible to avoid the teen. He didn’t want to be reminded of the fact that he had broken each and every one of his rules only to get burned by the one person he had thought would never hurt him. 

As soon as he stepped out of Babylon, Brian was hit by a sudden blast of cool air which threw off his equilibrium once again. He stumbled at the top of the steps and would have fallen if it wasn’t for the wall right next to him. The bit into his bare shoulder, but Brian ignored the slight pain in favour of remaining on his feet. 

“You okay, Kinney?” Bruce, one of the club’s bouncers, asked him. 

Sucking in his bottom lip, Brian nodded his head. “I’m good. Be better when I can find someone to fuck. When do you get off?” 

“Nice try, Kinney,” Bruce laughed. “Now go on home and sleep it off. Whatever the fuck it is you took.” 

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Brian snorted, pushing himself away from the wall and staggered in the direction of his jeep. “See you tomorrow, Brucey boy.” 

For the most part, Brian was forced to keep his eyes trained on the ground to ensure that he was able to keep one foot in front of the other. If he could take enough steps then he would get to the jeep. What he would do when he got there, Brian had no clue. Not drive. That was out of the question. Brian was going to wait until whatever high he was feeling wore off before he drove anywhere. He had one of Justin’s sketchbook in the jeep. That would keep him occupied for at least a little while. 

Cursing silently under his breath, Brian pushed that idea from his mind. He knew what was in that sketchbook and didn’t want to remember. Before Justin had left him for Ethan, Brian had memorized the contents of every one of the sketchbooks that were scattered around the loft. To a certain extent. He couldn’t recall every picture in particular, but he knew which of the books contained sketches of him and Justin together. 

The one that the teen had forgotten in the jeep contained one of the most powerful of all the images from their relationship that Justin had captured on paper. Justin had drawn the picture about a few months after he had moved into Brian’s loft after the accident. The teen had woken screaming from a nightmare and while Brian had been able to calm him somewhat, Justin had insisted on getting out his sketchbook. His hand had still been weak at the time, yet Justin had stayed up until dawn, madly scribbling the image down. 

It was only after Justin had fallen into an exhausted sleep that Brian was able to see the sketch and what he saw caused him to drop the sketchbook. The image was one that had been burned into Brian’s mind months before only this time it was from Justin’s point of view. He saw the descent of the bat the way Justin had seen it. Brian did not doubt for one moment that the panic on his face Justin had captured with the meticulous pencil strokes was as it had been that night. Nothing in Brian’s life had scared him as much as those few endless seconds had. 

“Brian, why are you calling me?” Justin’s voiced hissed. 

It took a moment for Brian to realize that he had taken out his cell phone and dialed the teen’s number. He could recall either action, but hearing Justin’s voice told him that was just what he had done. 

“I don’t know,” Brian mumbled, leaning up against the side of the jeep as he felt another wave of dizziness pass over him. “Shit. I-- Nevermind. I shouldn’t have....” 

Brian wavered, dropping against the side of the jeep as the world went momentarily black. Something was definitely wrong. Brian was willing to admit that now. 

“Brian...? Brian? BRIAN?!” 

His head jerked back and Brian nearly lost his grip on the cell. “Wha...? Justin? Something’s... something’s wrong.” 

“Brian, where are you?” Justin demanded, his voice sounding as though it were a million miles away. 

It took Brian a minute or two to remember where he was, but then it came back to him. “I’m at Babylon.” 

“Look, Brian, I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Just stay right where you are. Okay? Can you do that?” 

“Yeah. I-- Hey!” Brian cried, startled, as the phone was yanked from his hand. 

Brian spun around, losing his balance and nearly tumbling to the ground yet again. Two separate pairs of hands grabbed hold of his arms, holding him upright. He felt nauseous. That feeling was only increased when he saw who was standing before him. 

With a vicious smirk on his face, the Sap lifted the phone to his mouth. “I’m sorry, but Brian can’t come to the phone right now. He’s busy at the moment. Don’t know when he’ll be able to reach you again. Bye.” 

“No....” Brian moaned, reaching for the phone which was too far out of his grasp. 

Gary disconnected the call then tossed the phone deeper into the alley. With that went any chance Brian had of getting in touch with Justin or anyone else. Brian made a futile attempt to lunge for the other man and even if the hands hadn’t been holding him back, Brian knew that he wouldn’t have been able to get to the sick fuck. His vision was swimming worse than before and he couldn’t focus on a single thing for longer than a second or two. 

“I hope you didn’t have anything planned tonight, Kinney, because you, me and a few choice individuals and have some business to take care of,” the Sap growled, his warm breath making Brian’s skin crawl. 

“Fuck. You,” Brian managed to gasp out as he sagged between the men holding him up right. 

At the moment, Brian wasn’t sure whether it was a blessing or a curse that he wasn’t overcome by unconsciousness. While Brian found it next to impossible to keep his eyes open, he could still hear everything going on around him. If he could somehow manage to convince his limbs to obey him there was a chance that he could get himself out of the situation all on his own. 

Then they began to drag him down the alley and to some vehicle. For the first time, Brian knew that he was screwed. All of his attempts to throw their hands off him failed. In truth they didn’t even make an effect on the men hold him upright. 

Brian grunted as he was tossed into the back of what he assumed was a van. His shoulder impacted roughly on the hard surface, his head smacking down next. For a few moments, Brian was able to hang on to consciousness before the world slipped into black and he was lost in the swirl. 

*~*~*~ 

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” 

Justin continued to stare down at the cell phone in his hand as though it were a foreign object. 

“Justin, are you all right?” Ethan pressed, placing a hand on Justin’s arm which caused the artist to jump. “Who was that on the phone?” 

“I’ve got... I’ve got to go,” Justin stammered as he fumbled to put his cell back in his pocket. He missed and ended up dropping it on the ground. 

Before he could move to pick it back up, Ethan beat him to it. Justin cursed silently, knowing what it was the other man would see on the view screen. There was no way the musician would understand what was going on. The fear that Justin heard in Brian’s voice on the phone. Something was obviously wrong and had been before he had heard the Sap’s voice come onto the phone. Knowing first hand what Gary was capable of created a feeling of dread in Justin’s stomach. Adding Gary’s intense hatred of Brian into an already dangerous situation made it infinitely worse. 

“You are not going to him,” Ethan growled in Justin’s ear, not wanting to alert the people around them to their quarrel. “Justin, you aren’t his puppet any more. You don’t have to do what he tells you to.” 

“Fuck you, Ethan,” Justin hissed, his fear turning quickly in to anger. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. I have to go.” 

Ethan grabbed hold of Justin’s arm, his fingers sinking in to his flesh. “You promised you’d come to this benefit with me, Justin. That means staying for the entire thing.” 

“Let go of me, Ethan. This is fucking important,” Justin swore, glaring at the violinist as he wrenched his arm free. “I have to do this so don’t fuck with me on it.” 

Snatching his cell phone from Ethan’s hand, Justin bolted from the banquet hall. He was well past the point of rational thought. Spurring him on was the agonized moan he had heard from Brain just before Gary had ended the connection. Justin had barely been able to hear it, but he did know that he had not imagined the sound. 

Not having a vehicle of his own, Justin ran. He sprinted out of the building, nearly crashing into a finely dressed couple as they entered through the elegant glass doors. Justin roughly shoved them out of the way and continued out onto the sidewalk. He had to get to Brian before the Sap did the same thing to him as had nearly happened at that party all those months ago. 

Although he had spent a good part of his time at Sap’s doped up, Justin could still vividly recall the things he had seen in there and knew what lay in store for Brian if he didn’t find some way to prevent it. And as much as he would love to run in and rescue Brian on his own, Justin knew that was not going to accomplish anything. That meant playing it smart. 

~*~*~ 

“... down there....” 

Brian winced at the loud noise shocking through the darkness. More voices followed, but he couldn’t recognize any of them or what was said. If they were even voices. The noises he was hearing made no sense so there was no telling what was causing them. 

“Better wake up soon... conscious to do this....” 

His body was falling down. It was taking forever to fall. Then his hands went skyrocketing up. There was something digging into his wrists but at least he had stopped falling. Brian struggled to force his eyes open and was rewarded with a mind numbing flash of light that blinded him. 

He tried a second time and saw dark shapes moving in the light which was still too painful for his eyes. 

“Time for you to wake up, Kinney.” 

The same instant he recognized the Sap’s voice, Brian felt a needle jab into his arm. He must have made some type of noise or flinched because Gary started to laugh. A maniacal sound which sent chills up Brian’s spine. 

His senses were returning far too quickly and every noise was like an ice pick in the base of his skull. Moments later the ice pick became obsolete as his heart sped up, pounding in his chest. Brian was left gasping lungfuls of air which were hardly enough. 

“You know, it’s a good thing your body is used to all those drugs or we might accidentally kill you,” Gary said, his tone almost joking. “Can’t have that now can we, Kinney? We’ve got to be able to send you back to your little twink.... Say, did he ever tell you what happened at my party? No matter. You’ll find out soon enough.” 

This time Brian managed to keep his eyes open. The light was still blurring his vision, but it was bearable. Brian heard, more than saw the people moving about the room. That he couldn’t determine just how many of them there were only added to his fear. By this time Brian was in control of his senses enough to realize that he was fucked. He had been fucked the moment he had felt off at the bar, but now, with his hands cuffed over his head, he was completely helpless. 

Only years of mental raining kept Brian from acknowledging that vulnerability visually. His face was void of any emotions even as he felt his shirt being sliced open from behind. Inside, though, he was panicking. His fear only grew when a pair of hands began fumbling with his fly. Brian wasn’t an idiot. He knew what was coming and desperately wanted to stop it from happening. Each time Brian attempted to move his arms or twist his body the motion was deadened by whatever drugs had been pumped into his system. 

His shirt, now sliced in several places, was gone and the hands working his jeans were beginning to pull them down his hips. 

“Noooo.....” Brian groaned, the first word he had been able to push past his lips since regaining consciousness. He arched his hips away from the pull on his jeans, but the movement merited no result. His jeans still ended up down around his knees, the black boxer briefs he was wearing beneath the only thing protecting him. 

“The great Brian Kinney turning down sex?” the Sap snorted ruthlessly. “How silly of me. Turning down getting fucked. The eternal top is about to become bottom for nine of the countless queers you’ve fucked over.” 

Fingers slipped past the waistband of his underwear and wrapped around his flaccid cock. Brian’s entire body heaved at the contact and the only reason he didn’t throw up was because he hadn’t eaten anything since lunch. He tried to pull away from the touch even knowing that he wouldn’t be able to move from his current position. Brian did manage to fling his head back so that he could see the ceiling and if he focused hard enough, Brian could almost make out the chains and cuffs which were holding him upright. If the ceiling came complete with manacles, Brian knew that he didn’t want to see what else was wherever he was. 

“So, who’s going first and where do you want him?” 

The words had Brian silently willing himself into a completely different location. Anywhere but that place and that location. 

Gus’ first birthday. Later that night as he held Justin to him, listening to the sounds of his even breathing. It was in those moments afterwards, as he waited for sleep to claim him, that Brian allowed himself to realize for the first time since the night of the prom. Each night that he had spent at the hospital watching over Justin as he slept had bordered on torturous because he had always been too far away to be of any help to the artist when his sleep became troubled. In those endless weeks, Brian had memorized Justin’s face in a way he had never before, mentally tracing over the teen’s features with his eyes. 

The full curve of his bottom lip which Brian would suck on as they kissed so that it became swollen. 

His high cheekbones that Brian would run his tongue over while they fucked. 

His long, surprisingly dark eyebrows which brushed the upper swell of his cheeks. 

The slope of his nose which would crease at the top when he dreamt. 

His forehead which was mostly hidden by fine strands of blonde hair. 

Brian could see Justin’s face so clearly in his mind that if he wanted to he could have reached out and touched him. Instead he went crashing to the ground in a painful heap. Brian tried to move, but his limbs felt awkward and refused to obey his mind’s commands. 

“What the fuck do we do with him?” a voice demanded shrilly. 

“Leave him,” was the Sap’s answer. 

Footsteps pounded around him as Brian sluggishly managed to flop onto his back. His shoulders felt numb and the ground beneath his body chilled his naked skin. A booted foot connected with his ribs and Brian’s entire body jerked in reaction. He curled his body slightly, protecting himself from further injury while he struggled to pull air into his lungs with greedy mouthfuls. 

Suddenly the room was full of sounds that Brian couldn’t identify, his panic rising once again. Whimpering, tried to make himself as small as possible, but his body felt so heavy that he could barely move. The movements that he did manage to accomplish were slight, a twinge of a muscle, flicker of a finger, nothing that would offer him the slightest protection. 

When he felt hands on his face, Brian cried out in fear. 

“It’s me, Brian. I’ve got you.” 

Hearing Justin’s voice, Brian let out a relieved sob and fumbled one of his hands in the artist’s direction. Automatically Justin’s fingers linked with his, a touch Brian knew better than his own. Soon Justin’s arms were around him, holding him safe from whatever was going on around them. 

With a great deal of effort Brian was able to focus on Justin’s face. His vision was blurry around the edges, but he could make out Justin’s features and it was enough to calm him. 

~*~*~ 

Even with everything going on around him, the only thing Justin was aware of was Brian who lay trembling in his arms. Not knowing what had happened, Justin felt completely helpless and did the only thing he could think of to do which was run his hands over his lover’s skin. He knew that he was helping Brian on some level because he could see the relief clearly in the older man’s eyes before the lids closed over them and Brian slipped into unconsciousness. 

Still keeping his hands moving over Brian’s body, Justin lifted his head to watch Detective Horvath and the other police arrest the men who had been in the house. At that moment Justin could only pray that he and the police had arrived before anything sinister could be done to Brian. The fact that his boxers were still on was a good sign, but that really didn’t mean anything. 

“The ambulance just pulled up,” Horvath told Justin, crouching down into his line of sight. 

Justin nodded his head mutely, before turning his gaze back onto Brian’s face. 

~*~*~ 

His hands and feet were tingling. That was the first thing Brian noticed. The second was that he was lying on a bed that was not his own. That wasn’t an odd occurrence, but normally the activities that led to his falling asleep in someone else’s bed didn’t leave his entire body aching painfully. Brian tried to move and cried out when he moved only a single muscle. 

All at once, previous events coming back to him in a rush. In a panic, Brian attempted to scramble from the bed that he was in. His eyes were too heavy to open, so Brian was moving blindly, not knowing where he was going or even where he was. 

“Take it easy, Brian. You’ll hurt yourself,” Justin murmured, grabbing hold of his shoulders and holding him still. 

“Justin...?” Brian gasped, turning his head in the direction of Justin’s voice. 

The young artist ran a finger through his hair, pushing it away from his forehead. “Got it in one. How do you feel?” 

“Like shit,” Brian moaned, rolling towards Justin and cracking his eyes open. The light came pouring past his lids and he immediately shut them again. Instead, he reached towards Justin, his fingers catching hold of the other man’s wrist. “Get in here.” 

More than anything, Brian wanted Justin right there next to him. He needed to feel the teen’s arms around him, to know that he was there. The thought of anyone else touching him made Brian feel sick to his stomach. When he felt the mattress shift under him, Brian moved to give the younger man room. 

“You scared the shit out of me, Bri,” Justin said against the top of his head once he got himself settled, his arms wrapped around Brian’s lean torso. “When I heard Sap’s voice on your phone--” 

“No,” Brian growled, opening his eyes and tilting his head back so that he could see the teen’s face. “I don’t want to think about that. Don’t want to-- Fuck! Why the hell won’t my hands stop shaking?” 

“You’re probably in shock,” Justin told him, pressing his forehead to Brian’s. “It happens even to someone as untouchable as you.” 

Brian willed his entire body to relax, hoping that it would quell his hands’ shaking. “I think you’ve blasted through all my walls. I haven’t been quite so untouchable since I let you into my life.” 

“Sorry about that,” Justin apologized with a lop sided grin. 

“Don’t be,” Brian mumbled, his eyes drooping shut. 

Justin pressed a kiss to the bridge of his nose, one hand sliding up to play with the hair at the nape of Brian’s neck. “You just rest, Brian. The doctor wants you to stay overnight to make sure you don’t have any side effects from all the drugs the Sap pumped into your system. I’m just gonna go let the others know you’re all right.” 

Brian shook his head, clutching tightly at Justin’s hip. “Don’t go.” 

“It’ll only be for a minute, Bri. Everyone’s worried about you.” 

“Fuck ‘em. You’re here. All that matters,” Brian told him, fighting desperately to stave off sleep. He didn’t want to fall asleep yet. Not until he was sure that Justin wasn’t going anywhere. 

The artist hesitated and for a moment Brian feared that he would refuse. Brian didn’t know what he would do if Justin went back to his fucking banjo player. He needed him more than the musician did then. Always. Needed Justin with him always. Wasn’t going to give him up ever. 

“I’ll stay,” Justin promised as he lightly eased Brian’s eyelids with his thumb and forefinger. “Just go to sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.” 

“And always?” 

Justin’s lips were soft against his forehead. “Always.” 

Brian sighed in contentment and didn’t fight sleep off any longer. Justin would be there when he woke up. Would always be there when he woke up. He had promised and Justin never lied about things like that. Never. He said he would be there, he would. 

“Love you,” Brian mumbled, no longer having a reason to hide what he was feeling from Justin. Justin would be there. Would always be there. 

“Go to sleep, Brian,” Justin said firmly. 

That wasn’t how Justin was supposed to react. Didn’t matter, though. Justin was still staying. The wake up call from Sap had come in loud and clear. 

“You so care about me. You love me, so much,” Brian said in a sleepy singsong voice, his words mirroring those Justin had said to him nearly two years before. 

“Whatever. Sleep.” 

“Sleeping now.” 

~*~*~ 

The others would be pissed that he wasn’t letting them know that Brian was all right, but at that moment Justin couldn’t bring himself to care. By some weird cosmic chance, Brian had called him when Sap had come and Justin knew where to go to save him. Just in time, too. Somehow everything had timed itself perfectly so that he was able to get to the police and convince them that something was wrong before something awful happened to Brian. 

That was really all that mattered. That Brian was safe. 

“I love you too, Brian,” Justin murmured, pressing a kiss to Brian’s lips as the older man slept peacefully in his arms. 

That they were together.


End file.
